Overall Nordwaldkammwege

The Nordwaldkammweg is Austria's oldest long-distance hiking trail, which turned 60 years old on June 24, 2020. With its typical blue-white ridge marking, it is the successor and part of the ridge trail of the Böhmerwaldbund from 1908, which started in Rosenberg an der Moldau and ran along the Czech border over the Ore and Giant Mountains to Poland.

A significant change for hikers was the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. On December 11, 1989, the Iron Curtain was crossed at the Upper Austrian-Czech border. The classic Nordwaldkammweg passes in Guglwald by the Iron Curtain memorial stone (formerly a monument).

In 2012, the classic Nordwaldkammweg from Dreisesselberg in Bavaria to Nebelstein in the Waldviertel (Route 1 to Route 7) was extended by a return route, the Nordwaldkammweg II, which uses the Green Belt of Europe (Route 7 to Route 14) after the fall of the Iron Curtain. From the return route, a 3-day variant branches off, passing through Rosenberg an der Moldau, the starting point of the 1908 ridge trail (Nordwaldkammweg III, Route 10a to Route 12a).

Accommodation: The Alpine Club manages the Nordwaldkammweg voluntarily, so it is impossible to maintain the daily updated status of accommodations. For this, the Mühlviertel tourism organizations are responsible, namely from Dreisesselberg to Guglwald the Böhmerwald Tourism, then to Schenkenfelden the Tourism Association Mühlviertler Hochland, from Schenkenfelden to Sandl the Tourism Association Mühlviertler Alm Freistadt, from Sandl to the Pyhrabruck border crossing the Tourism Association Waldviertel, for Nordwaldkammweg II the Tourism Southern Bohemia, where it is however much more difficult to find the accommodation URLs (recommendation: Nordwaldkammweg guidebook by Verlag Pustet). Furthermore, the Tourism Association Mühlviertler Alm Freistadt offers the Nordwaldkamm Panoramaweg hiking map for free, where accommodations along the Nordwaldkammweg that offer luggage transport are listed.

Luggage transport: It is now possible to hike the classic Nordwaldkammweg with only light hiking luggage. Accommodations that also offer luggage transport are known to the Tourism Association Mühlviertler Alm Freistadt in Freistadt, which also sends the Panoramaweg folder and issues badges after completing the Nordwaldkammweg.

In 2020, the Nordwaldkammweg turned 60: 60 long-distance hikers born in 1960 who walked the Nordwaldkammweg were invited by the AV section Freistadt to a dinner at the Braunberghütte. The raffle took place on June 15, 2021.

For hiking the Nordwaldkammweg, there is the possibility to acquire badges. For this, a stamp in the stamp book with confirmation including date and signature of the accommodation or tourism office is required at the checkpoints. If there is no possibility for a stamp with confirmation, a selfie can also be taken (date to be displayed). If the route is interrupted, the checkpoint must be stamped again with a new date when resuming.

Checkpoints Classic Nordwaldkammweg

1. Dreisesselberg shelter
2. Hochficht: Gasthaus zum Überleben or Schöneben: Böhmerwaldhorst or Hotel InnsHolz,
3. Oberhaag: Country inn Haagerhof,
4. Haslach: Gasthaus Ortner "Zum Alten Turm" or Tourism office Haslach, Stahlmühle 4, +43 7289 723000
5. Afiesl: AV-Helfenbergerhütte or Guglwald: Hotel Guglwald,
6. Bad Leonfelden: optionally Berggasthof Waldschenke or Leonfeldner Hof or Tourist information Bad Leonfelden, Hauptplatz 19, 4190 Bad Leonfelden
7. Guttenbrunn: Inn Pammer,
8. Freistadt: optionally Tourism office Mühlviertler Alm Freistadt, Waaggasse 6, Phone: +43(0)507263 21 or Pension Hubertus or inn "Zum goldenen Hirschen", Böhmergasse 8 - 10, 4240 Freistadt,
9. Lasberg: AV Braunberghütte or in winter at an inn in St. Oswald or Lasberg
10. Sandl: Gasthaus zum Toni or Karlstift: Inn Pension Zeiler, Phone +43(0)2816-235
11. AV - Nebelsteinhütte or in winter inn in Harbach

Checkpoints Nordwaldkammweg II

1. Pyhrabruck: Restaurant at the border station or Nove Hrady: Tourist information at the town hall or accommodation in Nove Hrady
2. Cerne Udoli: Hotel U Pralesa or Žofín: Penzion Lesovna,
3. Buchers: Inn Baronuv most or Dolni pribrani: Penzion Jeleni Vyhlidka or Janova ves: Rodinna farma,
4. Windhaag bei Freistadt: Green belt center,
5. Pieberschlag, Leopoldschlag, Eisenhut: Inns
6. Kerschbaum: Horse Railway Museum or Rainbach: inns
7. Eibenstein: Pilsstubn or foundation: Lorenzmühle
8. Rading Schwedenschanze
9. Přední vyton: Penzion Baborka or Pension Hejrov
10. Svatý Tomáš: Inn or hotel
11. Přední Zvonková: Pension Wudy or Pension Marie
12. Dreisesselberg shelter,

Instead of the corresponding checkpoints of NWKW II, the checkpoints 15a to 17a (18 and 19, i.e. 7 and 8 in the NWKW II list, are then omitted) can also be taken instead of checkpoints 15 to 19 (4 - 8 in the NWKW II list above).

Checkpoints Nordwaldkammweg III

15a.       Sv. Kamen: Inn or Dolni Dvořiště: Inn

16a.       Rožmberk nad Vltavou: Inns or hotels

17a.       Vyšší Brod: Inns or hotels

Again: Each stamp must be completed with the date and signature of the checkpoint. If the stamp office is closed, a selfie in front of the checkpoint is also suitable as proof (date to be displayed). If the route is interrupted, the stamp of the last checkpoint with a new date and signature must be obtained when continuing the hike.

The NWKW badge is available in bronze, silver and gold, whereby the route can be the NWKW or NWKW II/III:

Bronze: Completion of the NWKW or NWKW II within one year

Silver: Completion of the NWKW or NWKW II in one go (possibly 1 rest day) but without prescribed time

Gold: Completion of the NWKW or NWKW II within 5 consecutive days, for seniors up to 7 days. These conditions also apply to ski hikers or cross-country skiers. Mountain bikers cannot acquire this hiking badge.

The complete stamp sheet in this book (also downloadable at http://www.alpenverein-freistadt.at/files/kontrollblatt_nordwaldkammweg.pdf) must be submitted to the Tourism Association Mühlviertler Alm Freistadt, Waaggasse 6, 4240 Freistadt, email: anfrage@muehlviertel.at, phone +43 5 07263 21 to obtain the hiking badge (Euro 9,- + cash on delivery).

These are the conditions adapted to the new situation for obtaining the Nordwaldkammweg badge, while it is interesting to read the old conditions:

Information sheet from the 1981 edition

with conditions for obtaining the Nordwaldkamm hiking or performance badge:

The sections united in the ARGE (Freistadt, Waldviertel and Linz OG Bad Leonfelden) have endowed a badge in 3 classes for hiking the Nordwaldkammweg. The foundation was supported by the Office of the Upper Austrian State Government.

The total length of the trail is around 140 km and begins at Dreisesselberg and ends at the Nebelsteinhütte or Inn Glaser, Harmannschlag, Post St. Martin in Waldviertel, or vice versa.

1. For the hiking badge in bronze, it is necessary that the entire trail is hiked within one year in all sections.
2. For achieving the silver hiking badge, the trail must be completed in one go, but without prescribed time (possibly 1 rest day).
3. The gold hiking badge is awarded as a performance badge to those who cover the entire route within 5 consecutive days, for seniors up to 7 days. These conditions also apply to ski hikers (track grooming is not provided).
4. As proof of completion, all checkpoint stamps listed in the stamp sheet with the signature of the innkeeper or a representative of the respective section and date must appear.
5. If the Nebelstein hut is closed, the stamp can be obtained at Inn Glaser, Harmannschlag.
6. Other confirmation types than those mentioned above cannot be accepted.
7. There is no legal claim to being awarded the hiking badge.
8. The hut keepers are instructed to provide stamps or confirmations only to those genuinely recognized as hikers by their hiking clothes.
9. Applicants must submit the stamp sheet with confirmations to … After examination of the documents, the NWKW hiking badge will be sent for a processing fee.